Are you looking for reliable drug information, fast? Here are some suggestions:

If you are a URMC affiliate you have access to Micromedex, a clinical database that provides comprehensive drug summaries, drug comparisons, images for easier identification, and allows you to look up drug interactions. To access, select the Micromedex link on the Bibby library website. To use the database from your hand held phone, go to http://www.thomsonhc.com/micromedex2/librarian and log in with your URMC email credentials.

DailyMed: a free website containing information on over 9000 drugs for health information providers and the public. Site is provided by the National Library of Medicine.

MedlinePlus:learn about prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. Includes side effects, dosage, special precautions, and more. Also from the National Library of Medicine.

In addition to these electronic databases, Bibby library owns the following drug information books. They may be borrowed by URMC affiliates for two weeks.

Even better, the ADA provides critical summaries of many of these systematic reviews. Critical summaries are brief, concise assessments of a review that are written by ADA Evidence Reviewers. These reviewers are trained in the critical appraisal of scientific literature.

4EverLearning (free) Dental CPD and CE for Dentists and their Dental Teams –contains 100 challenging questions that cover a wide variety of subjects from Radiography, Perio, Endo, Diet and Prevention, Childrens Dentistry and many other dental aspects.

Anesthetics ($4.99) calculate the Max dosages and Max number of cartridges for local anesthetics in dentistry based on the age and weight of the patient.

AnimaDent (49.99) 22 animations to aid the dentist in explaining procedures to the patient

Animated Tooth Quiz ($1.99) Test your knowledge of human dental anatomy. For testing and educational purposes for people well-informed about the human teeth. Game consists of 48 illustrated questions with the animated images of each separate tooth.

Beauty Dentist ( free) Want to be a dentist? Ok, here is your chance to be a Beauty Dentist! You will have lots of fun drilling teeth, filling cavities, and using your dental skills to solve lots of dental dilemmas. Go to lots of destinations, meeting people and their mouths.

Cleft Lip & Palate (free) From the Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston. An application for patients, parents, and anybody interested in learning more about cleft lip and palate (CLP).

Common Dental Drugs (6.99) designed for dental professionals and dentistry students looking for concise information pertaining to commonly prescribed medications in dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry Calculator ($4.99):Analyzes a patient’s existing tooth width-to-length ratio; calculates the ideal dimensions of the maxillary anterior teeth based on well-established cosmetic dentistry principles. Starting point for esthetic case planning. A diagnostic tool, it can be used chairside as an aid during patient consultations. The included Smile Design Checklist provides guidelines to help develop a natural-looking smile.

DDS GP ($399.99) For dentists, hygienists, and other dental professionals to increase case acceptance through better patient understanding of their dental health.

Den-Dic Dental dictionary. This app is free, but to obtain full access to the dictionary it requires a paid Online-Dental-Dictionary subscription which can be purchased via your iTunes account.

Dental Aid ($4.99) Dental Aid is a patient guide to understanding the main procedures of common dental treatments. The application provides useful information with plenty of figures. It is designed to facilitate communication between patients and dentists, and to help people to overcome the fear of receiving dental care.

DentalChart (free) gives the Dentist a simple and easy way to maintain an electronic clinical record of their patients.

Dental Chinese ($2.99) Designed to facilitate communication between English speaking dentists and Chinese speaking patients

Dental Clinic ($3.99) a patient’s guide to understanding all aspects of dentistry and its procedures. This application includes the most frequently asked dental questions answered by the top dental experts in each field.

Dental Expert (free) A patient’s guide to understanding all aspects of dentistry and its procedures. This application includes the most frequently asked dental questions answered by the top dental experts in each field.

Dental Patient Education for the iPad (99.99) animation based patient education app for dental professionals to effectively communicate dental conditions and treatments to their patients.

Dental Patient Education lite(free) This is a Lite version of the Dental Patient Education app, developed in collaboration with Dr Brian Davey DDS. The Lite version contains all of the anatomical reference tool functionality. Providing 360 degree views of the lower jaw, allowing users to peel down layers to reveal muscles, blood vessels, facial nerves and skeletal structures. Users can also view each type of tooth individually — with cross sections and superior and inferior views. Additionally, each pinned structure includes detailed descriptions and audio pronunciations. This section also contains media highlighting muscle movement and joint functions.

Dental Phobia (.99) This app has been created for dental phobic patients to help them understand the treatment options available. There is information regarding all aspects of sedation, frequently asked questions and the opportunity to email questions about dentistry to a dentist.

Dental Prescriber ($4.99) designed to enable and educate dentists to quickly look up the scripts required to manage a patient’s oral disease or symptoms.

DentalStat ($9.99) easy to use application for calculating patient-specific doses. It eliminates the need to review guidelines and perform manual calculations. The most common dental medicines prescribed are also listed and displayed in a form that can be submitted to a pharmacy.

Dental Trauma ($.99) For patients. The app shows what to do when a fragment of the crown is fractured, when there is increased mobility or displacement of a tooth, or in case of a completely knocked out tooth.

Dental Tribune (free) clinicians who want to stay up to date on all the latest dental news read Dental Tribune, which features a monthly “best of” eJournal with unlimited access to international content in English for all mobile devices. Catch up on the important stories of the day and then browse the videos, animations and interactive features for more information on the latest products and techniques.

Evidence Based Dentistry: (free) systematic reviews, clinical recommendations and information for patients from the American Dental Association’s Center for Evidence Based Dentistry (note, search for site in safari and then save as a bookmark to your home screen)

Go Anatomy (2.99) Head and neck anatomy. Over 100 labelled images included, with CT and MRI images in axial, coronal and sagittal planes,

Got Cavities(free) Although the app is purely for entertainment it does provide a reminder to get a dental checkup regularly. With instructions on how to take a snap shot of your mouth and teeth this app magically evaluates tooth decay. Within less than a minute is returns the verdict and lets you know if you have cavities or whether your teeth are cavity free. Try it out on your friends and see who has the best dental hygiene. Show it to your Dentist and let them know how this little app keeps dental health at the top go your mind.

Happy Teeth (free) HAPPY TEETH is a FREE app that will allow you to enjoy fun music, and amazing graphics while at the same time showing you what quadrants of teeth you should be brushing. An adjustable timer will allow you to set the desired length of time to brush for.

iDental(free) From United Concordia, Find a nearby dentist, including contact information, maps and directions and add the dentist to your contacts. Learn about oral health and wellness, and get helpful tips about proper brushing, flossing and more. Obtain emergency dental information.

iDentalCare ($49.99) app that is designed to allow doctors to schedule dental appointments for their patients, manage patient records and progress of activities. Through integration with iCcloud data will be synchronized on all devices.

iDentalNotes(4.99) for Dentists to make notes about patients, these notes can be emailed to a computer and attached to a Practice Management System.

iMuco Gingival Recessions ($64.99)Based on scientific studies and on his own clinical experience, the author, Dr. Olivier Carcuac shares with you his knowledge on mucogingival surgery for the treatment of gingival recessions.

International Journal of Orthodontics (free) a quarterly peer-reviewed clinical journal published by the International Association for Orthodontics (IAO). The IJO features original scientific and clinical articles on orthodontics, plus an editorial, practice tips and office management hints.

iPanoramic ($1.99) Panoramic radiographs provide a general overview for the patient’s teeth, bone, and jaws. A panoramic radiograph is usually used to detect and assess impacted 3rd molars, pathology, or in patients who are partially or fully edentulous.

Muscle Head and Neck System: (free) Concentrates on the muscles of the head and neck. Powerful reference tools that allow the user to zoom in and identify individual muscles and to remove layers of muscle to reveal deeper muscles.

My Ortho (free) For those undergoing orthodontic treatment. The app uses their iPhone’s camera, messaging and local storage to allow users to save notes, access treatment information or request assistance for appointments, emergencies or other orthodontic concerns.

Netter’s Advanced Head and Neck Flash Cards(39.99) Using the same anatomical illustrations from Netter’s Atlas of Human Anatomy, these flash cards feature concise text to review muscles, bones, vessels, viscera and the joints.

Orthodontic Products (free) provides the latest product news and technique tips, as well as articles by experts on topics including efficient treatment, staff management, and marketing methods.

OsseoCare (free)Interface for the dental drilling system, OsseoCare™ Pro. The application guides you through the dental implant surgery process, saving treatment time and allowing a record of all operation sequences.

OsteoBiol (free) Guided Bone Regeneration tool for dentistry designed to provide a quick and easy overview of the regenerative needs that a patient may have before placing dental implants and of the solutions that a dentists may provide. Two sections are available: one specifically for professionals, with technical information, and one with animated videos, to support the dental surgeon while explaining pathologies and treatments to the patient.

Public Awareness App for Implant Dentistry (19.99) Four animated videos designed for point and click patient education. Dental Implant Educational Videos. Educate your patients about the consequences of tooth loss, and the benefits of dental implants.

Radio Vision Interface (free) Great for patient education in the office, or consulting with colleagues offsite.

Shade Selector (free) The IPS e.max Shade Selection from Ivoclar Vivadent. Slect the suitable block / ingot on the basis of the desired tooth shade and the determined stump shade

Show-Timer (free) The App supports you by showing you all the regions which you need to brush and which you just brushed. You can choose the brushing time and also the sequence in which cleaning regions are shown. Additionally there is a 30 second countdown for rinsing.

Skyscape: A broad range of Dentistry resources that provide decision support at the point of care. You’ll gain instant access to topics that matter most to you, the Dentist, including The 5 Minute Clinical Consult for Dental Professionals and Cochrane Reviews in Oral Health.

Straumann Patient Education (free) This free app provides a convenient way to communicate the benefits of dental implants and describe treatment options and procedures, and allows dental professionals to customize the learning experience for each patient. It contains patient-friendly information, videos and animated graphics to help dental professionals inform their patients on dental implants solutions.

Straumann Restorative Flipchart (free) self-guiding tool the dental professional navigates through by indication type to determine the appropriate restorative component options that are available with the Straumann platform.

Tooth Morphology Exam preparation (1.99) useful study tool for dental undergraduate and postgraduate students in learning about and mastering the morphology of permanent dentition. It consists of clinical photographs with accompanying study notes and a chapter of short answer questions.

ToothNotes (.99) Tooth Notes records notes about your teeth. It helps you talk with your dentist by remembering the tooth or gum. In the 3D view, drag to rotate teeth.

Virtual Dentist ($19.99) professional dental simulation application that enables users to upload a photo and try out a variety of different dental procedures virtually on their own (or a patient’s) photo.

Virtual Teeth Cleaning (.99) Take on the role of a Virtual Dentist – You are in control as you clean a patient’s teeth. Scrape, Brush, Rinse and Floss your way to a healthy smile in this highly interactive educational game! Great for kids learning what to expect at a dentist visit, and adults who want to learn more about dental health.

To the Dentist (.99) This game is for children who are about to visit the dentist.

X-Vision Dental X-Ray Magazine (free) Sirona’s X-Vision magazine presents the latest developments and ideas being worked on in our imaging systems division, as well as a variety of interesting stories and things worth knowing about x-rays and x-ray technology. The iPad version of the magazine offers a selection of integrated videos and podcasts, plus plenty of digital extras.

XyloTeeth (.99) The ultimate musical instrument for dentists and their patients.

February is American Heart Month. What does this have to do with dentistry? Come to find out, alot! Research suggests a significant link between oral and cardiovascular health.

In particular, periodontal health seems to play a major role. Read what the American Academy of Periodontology has to say aboutperiodontal disease and the heart.

You may also wish to browse this list of recent reviews pertaining to oral health and the heart:

Antibiotic prophylaxis for preventing endocarditis and infection in joint prosthesis after dental treatment: a review of new trends and recommendations in the literature. Kotze MJ. SADJ : journal of the South African Dental Association 2008 Sep;63(8):440-4. Review.

Do antibiotics before invasive dental procedures prevent infections in patients who have had arthroplasties of the hip or knee?

This was a question posed by researchers at the University of Geneva Hospital, in Geneva, Switzerland.

These authors systematically reviewed the PubMed database, for articles related to the development of infection following invasive dental procedures in patients who have had arthroplasties of the hip or knee. They hand-searched the bibliographies of relevant references and did not limit their search to clinical trials. They found 24 case reports, 3 small case series, and 34 review articles; 23 papers that prospectively assessed the rate of asymptomatic bacteremia; and no controlled studies.

The authors concluded that it is possible that prophylactic antibiotics prevent infections in patients with previous arthroplasty undergoing invasive dental procedures. However, there was no reliable data on the subject.